This invention, describes a completely new approach to drilling oil, gas, and geothermal wells. The technique for excavating the rock involves a novel method of rock disintegration, in combination with a mechanical method of rock disintegration. Both the novel and the mechanical excavation methods exploit the one universal weakness and static parameter of all rocks--namely, their very low tensile strengths. Drilling methods currently in use disintegrate rock for the most part, by overcoming its compressive strength, which unlike tensile strength, increases with confining pressure as the depth of burial increases. Because the tensile strength of rock is only a small fraction of its compressive strength the proposed drilling technique requires only a small fraction of the specific energy required to excavate a unit volume of rock. This makes it possible to reduce the specific power requirements, and to greatly reduce the mass of hardware that is currently required during drilling operations.